PARANOIA

Genre
Drama

Project Status
Pre-production stage

Expected Shooting Location
Terengganu

Logline
A young drug addict has to overcome paranoia and get enough money to afford his girlfriend’s abortion, while an old boat driver forgotten by modernization unknowingly hopes for the drug addict to continue his legacy as a boat driver, in a village by the sea in Kuala Terengganu.

Synopsis

BAGA is a story about Jani, a tahi kuda (someone who is addicted to pill kuda, directly translated to ‘horse pills’) and small-time dealer who regularly helps out Pok Awang, a small ferry boat driver in an era where the boats have become obsolete with modernization. Pok Awang is old and sick, but has high hopes that Jani will be able to continue his legacy as a boat driver someday. But unbeknownst to Pok Awang, Jani needs to find money to afford his girlfriend, Hawa’s abortion. Attempting to acquire money the best way he knows how, Jani approaches Pok Cech, his local pusher for a bigger supply of pills to sell. Pok Cech eventually trusts Jani enough with 2 kandang pills (200 pills per kandang), but Jani loses the pills by accident in a state of paranoia and chaos. Now with no pills to sell, and no money to answer to Pok Cech, Jani finds himself even deeper in trouble, while the side effects of smoking the pills begin to further consume him. Jani realises a little too late that his actions and decisions have caused the people around him, such as Hawa, Pok Awang, and Ajih, to bear great consequences.

Director
Ariff Zulkarnain

Ariff Zulkarnain, born and bred in the small town of Kuala Terengganu, is a TV and film director based in Kuala Lumpur. In 2018, he landed his directorial debut with the rom-com telemovie Cinta Elevator, which aired on Astro Citra, and received the Special Jury Award during the 2019 PROFIMA Awards. Since then, he has worked in Singapore with Mediacorp, and directed more works with Astro as well. His short film Lelaki Yang Dirindui was one of the Top 10 finalists, and brought home the Best Actor award in BMW Shorties 2018. He joined again the next year in 2019 with Untuk Satu Malam, which took home the Best Screenplay Award and received the Judges’ Honourable Mention. In his more recent works, he directed Dukun Diva and One Cent Thief, both of which were hugely successful Astro Original Series. Moving forward, he wishes to tell more compelling stories that continue to push the envelope of Malaysian media.

Producer
Omar Yunus

Omar Yunus has ventured into filmmaking since 2011. He started working in the film industry, working his way through many areas in the local industry, donning many hats across the filmmaking disciplines. He consistently managed projects from 2013 as Production Manager for Web, TV, OTT and films ranging from small budget to big scale mainstream projects. He started producing in 2019 and has never looked back since.He consistently managed projects from 2013 as Production Manager for Web, TV, OTT and films ranging from small budget to big scale mainstream projects. He started producing in 2019 and has never looked back since. Omar was part of the production team for Keluarga Baha Don 2, made for a regional OTT platform, Viu, which has won the Best Comedy Programme in the recent Asian Creative Academy Awards. The other highlight will be when he was the Line Producer and Production Manager for a local action film titled ‘Bulan dan Pria Terhebat (BPT)’. Other than that, he worked in projects such as Fly By Night and One Two Jaga which has travelled to festival circuits around the world.

Company
Indigo Films Sdn Bhd

Projek Indigo, founded in 2018 by Ariff Zulkarnain, is a creative production that comprises a team of passionate and experienced filmmakers. With a keen understanding of the Malaysian mass media and market, we provide one-stop solutions for any creative broadcast purposes, and elevate our clients’ branding with captivating storytelling. The solutions we provide vary from films, to TV series, to commercials, and telemovies; and for each solution, we handle the entire process from pre-production, to production, and post-production. During that process, we communicate closely with our clients to ensure that the intended sentiment is delivered, and that the story is served in its best purpose and effect. We aim for our works to set a strong benchmark for what content should be – both in terms of production value, and narrative quality. Projek Indigo’s founder, Ariff Zulkarnain, is a TV and film director based in Kuala Lumpur. In 2018, he landed his directorial debut with the rom-com telemovie Cinta Elevator, which aired on Astro Citra, and received the Special Jury Award during the 2019 PROFIMA Awards. Since then, he has also worked in Singapore with Mediacorp, and directed more works with Astro as well.